Tender perennials from South America. All are grown as annuals, but they may live over in the Coastal and Tropical South. Upright-growing plants with soft, oval, often quite large leaves; both foliage and stems are slightly sticky. Flowersvery fragrant in some speciesare tubular, typically flaring at the mouth into five pointed lobes; they appear near tops of branching stems in summer. They usually open at night or on cloudy days, though some kinds open during the day. Some nicotianas reseed readily.

Selection and hybridization with other species have produced many garden strains that stay open day and night and come in colors, including white, pink shades, red, and lime-green, but their perfume is not as strong as that of the unimproved species.

If scent (especially during evening) is important to you, plant 3 feet-high 'Grandiflora'.